2008 Newspapers

Choose your Date

During this decade, the world entered a time of progressive change, documented in our 2008 newspaper articles. Barack Obama became the first African-American candidate nominated by a major political party to become the president of the United States and Thomas Beatie, the world’s first pregnant man gave birth to a daughter.

2008 Newspaper Headlines

Date

Event

2nd January 2008

The price of petroleum hits $100 per barrel for the first time.

11th January 2008

Edmund Hillary dies at the age of eighty-nine. He was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist.

17th February 2008

A suicide bombing by a Taliban member kills up to eighty people in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

18th February 2008

The British government introduces emergency legislation to temporarily nationalise Northern Rock, the fifth largest mortgage bank in the United Kingdom, due to the bank's financial crisis.

1st March 2008

In the Gaza Strip, at least fifty-two Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers are killed in the most intense Israeli air strikes since 2005.

21st May 2008

Manchester United win the UEFA Champions League, beating Chelsea on penalties in Moscow.

25th May 2008

NASA's “Phoenix” spacecraft becomes the first to land on the northern polar region of Mars, enabling research into microbial life and the history of water on the planet.

27th June 2008

President Robert Mugabe is re-elected with 85.5% of the vote in the second round of the controversial Zimbabwean presidential election.

15–20th July 2008

World Youth Day takes place in Sydney, Australia. Pope Benedict XVI appears at the event.

8–24th July 2008

The 2008 Summer Olympics take place in Beijing, China.

17th August 2008

American swimmer Michael Phelps surpasses Mark Spitz in Gold Medals won at a single Olympic Games. He wins a total of eight.

20th August 2008

Spanair Flight 5022, from Madrid to Gran Canaria, skids off the runway and crashes at Barajas Airport with 172 on board. 154 passengers are killed, with only eighteen surviving.

22nd August 2008

Pirates hijack German, Iranian, and Japanese cargo ships off the coast of Somalia, in the latest of seven such attacks since 20th June.

3rd September 2008

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani of Pakistan survives an assassination attempt near Islamabad, while on his way to meet British Leader of the opposition, David Cameron.

Barack Obama is elected the 44th President of the United States, becoming the first ever African-American President-elect. Joe Biden is elected the 47th Vice President, completing a historic year for American politics. Biden is the first ever Roman-Catholic to be elected into this position.

26th November 2008

Pakistan-based Islamic militants launch a series of terrorist attacks in Mumbai, killing 195 people and injuring a further 250.

31st December 2008

An extra leap-second is added to the end of the year. The last time this occurred was in 2005.

Historical events like these are just some of the major events of this decade. The beauty of a 2008 newspaper is that key moments in history are accessible in their original detail, including reports, articles and adverts to give the individual a concrete piece of history. A single newspaper could hold with it a mountain of memories too. If you want an exact newspaper on particular events or persons, you can contact research@historic-newspapers.co.uk for in-depth articles.

Newspapers are unique connections with the past. As all of our newspapers are genuine originals, there are no embellishments or changes, meaning the paper you choose is the most concrete piece of history for any event. For readers, seeing the event as it was originally reported could trigger any memories tied to specific headlines of the year.

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